To Coach or Not to Coach

[Lipdrag]

I have a question for my colleagues:  in a JV tournament grouped into 6 wrestler pools and no team point calculation do you put a coach in each corner and coach when wrestlers from the same school face off?

Whether you answer yes or no please let me know your reasoning behind your position.

[flyingcement]

Yes I would if they are available.  I've wrestled without a coach at tournaments and also with my dad and a teammate as my coach when no one else was available.  Something about the moral support of having guys literally in your corner seems to be a morale boost.  Also if you have guys from the same school facing off, you can have the coaches ensure it doesn't get nasty

[flyingcement]

Also referees are human beings and sometimes might need to have something very politely pointed out by a coach - in defense of their wrestler

[Lipdrag]

1 hour ago, flyingcement said:

Yes I would if they are available.  I've wrestled without a coach at tournaments and also with my dad and a teammate as my coach when no one else was available.  Something about the moral support of having guys literally in your corner seems to be a morale boost.  Also if you have guys from the same school facing off, you can have the coaches ensure it doesn't get nasty

Thank you for the response.

I should have been more specific in my original post.  For any wrestler to be in a match it is required to have a coach in the corner.  So in this instance each wrestler has a team coach/asst coach in his/her corner.  Should each coach actively coach, call instructions, etc. to the wrestler from his corner or should each coach just sit quietly being available only for blood time/administrative issues? 

Edited January 5 by Lipdrag

[flyingcement]

2 minutes ago, Lipdrag said:

I should have been more specific in my original post:  for any wrestler to be in a match it is required to have a coach in the corner.  So in this instance each wrestler has a team coach/asst coach in his/her corner.  Should each coach actively coach, call instructions, etc. to the wrestler from his corner or should each coach just sit quietly being available only for blood time/administrative issues? 

Oh I see what you mean.  I think the right thing to do is yes - coach them as you normally would.  However.  Don't "Root" for them in the traditional sense, especially not with enthusiasm.  Make sure to appear as an instructor only.  I've seen it get nasty between guys on my team when that doesn't happen and their favorite coach is cheering basically against another one of his wrestlers.  

Edited January 5 by flyingcement

[JVStateChamp]

This is such a difficult position for the wrestlers and coaches, when two teammates wrestle each other it is quite often that coaches and the athletes have an idea of who the superior wrestler is. I think as a coach in the corner the best thing to do is sit there and be more of a figure than a supporter. Both wrestlers most likely don't have the same fire to compete against each other as they would against someone from a different team. Tough for all involved, especially the referee if they're wearing the same singlet lol

[Formally140]

I just say things like 

“open up”

“Try stuff, nothing to lose”

Do my best to be Neutral and non biased each way. I tell them before I’m not coaching either specifically.

[WrestlingRasta]

On 1/4/2024 at 4:50 PM, Lipdrag said:

I have a question for my colleagues:  in a JV tournament grouped into 6 wrestler pools and no team point calculation do you put a coach in each corner and coach when wrestlers from the same school face off?

Whether you answer yes or no please let me know your reasoning behind your position.

my opinion a good time to let the kids coach.  There's learning that can be done from that position.

[Lipdrag]

20 minutes ago, WrestlingRasta said:

my opinion a good time to let the kids coach.  There's learning that can be done from that position.

I like this idea quite a bit.  Thank you.

[MadMardigain]

On 1/12/2024 at 4:14 PM, WrestlingRasta said:

my opinion a good time to let the kids coach.  There's learning that can be done from that position.

In a similar situation I’ve put a kid beside me in the chair and talked him through some match logic and thought process.  With an assistant doing the same on the other side.  I felt it helped for them to notice what was going on during a match from the outside looking in. 

[flyingcement]

On 1/12/2024 at 1:14 PM, WrestlingRasta said:

my opinion a good time to let the kids coach.  There's learning that can be done from that position.

That's a tremendous idea

[WrestlingRasta]

1 hour ago, MadMardigain said:

In a similar situation I’ve put a kid beside me in the chair and talked him through some match logic and thought process.  With an assistant doing the same on the other side.  I felt it helped for them to notice what was going on during a match from the outside looking in. 

Good thing to do with young coaches. Sit with them and “okay what do you see” 

[BobDole]

Yes

The caveat is only major things such as choices between periods and nothing that would exploit the weakness of the opponent unless the kid figures it out first. 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

In my experience, most of the time the coaching chairs were empty on both sides.

Treat it exactly as if it was a challenge match in the wrestling room. Because it basically is. It's not practice. It's a chance for the underdog to perform on equal footing. Anything that hinders that is a mistake. Let 'em go.

No advantage or perceived advantage. (Do not bring kids into coaching chairs, that just makes for future problems.)

If butts in coaching chairs are required, any asst coach or trainer will do just fine... as long as they stfu during the match.

There's only one really, really important rule that should be always adhered to here:

Never ever make a wrestler feel like he's competing against a teammate and against one of his coaches at the same time.

Ever.